The parable of the wedding banquet, what does it mean?

Question

At the end it says "many are called, but few are chosen." What do you think this means?

Matthew 22: 1-14: Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' "But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'

So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

Answer 1

Many are invited (or called), but few are chosen means there will be judgment. It is warning that we must be prepared for what is to come.

I guess it means if we live a good life, we will be treated well at the judgment time.

I'd like to comment on the earlier section of the verses, where people refused the invitation. Many see that as people that do not accept Christ, but I think it can be interpreted as Christians that claim they are in the same echelon, but don't live like they are Christians. Hypocrites. They are invited, they are the accepted group that should go, and they ignore and go do their selfish things instead.

The inviting of the un-acceptable group is another assurance that it is not where you came from or the sins you commit that will exclude you, but if you repent or not and if you are repentant at the time of judgement. Any can be accepted if they take care of business.

Answer 2

The 'wedding' is between Jesus and Almighty God's Kingdom [ the one we pray about in the Lord's prayer, Matthew 6; 9.10] Jehovah God has set it up with Jesus as the King. The Bride is God's heavenly organisation. The 'few' who are chosen are those mentioned in Revelation 7;4 and 14;1. The 144,000. The wedding clothes are white and worn by the ones supporting the 144,000. The ones without the clothes are those who have been told about the wedding but refuse to comply [ with God's standards]

Answer 3

Many are called to Christ to accept his gift of Grace and Mercy on the Cross. Many say they received that gift, yet in there words, actions and hearts they show otherwise. They conform god's word to earthly standards and believe that it is okay to do that. It is not. That is why few are chosen. The entire parable is as below, taken from http://shulamite.com/wedding_clothes.html

Matthew 22:1-14

The mysteries of Bridal preparation
are strewn throughout scripture, by clear symbol.
Jesus freely gave the secrets that gain a place
at His Table at the Marriage Feast.



Jesus turned to the hidden truths of the parable
when the Jewish religious leaders rejected Him.

On this occasion, the chief priests and the Pharisees
were so angry with Jesus that they were plotting His arrest.
The parable of the vineyard had clearly indicted them
as murderers of the Son. . .
and they knew it. (Matt. 21:33-46)

But "Jesus, spoke to them again in parables, saying,
"The Kingdom of heaven is like
a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

Then he (the king) said to his servants, "The wedding banquet
is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.



The invitation to the Wedding banquet was extended
first to the Jewish family of God.
With the exception of a few, all refused so the invitation
was opened to all the world.
Out of the religious place and into the common street,
to the ordinary person,
to all, to 'every' - goes the invitation.

The servant stands for the Holy Spirit who searches
with the Father's good pleasure to find a willing one,
one who has a hunger for God, for His world of joy.
And on that one, to lavish the invitation,
now without restriction.
Such was God's always-plan, to include all of
humanity in the opportunity to unite with His Son.

So the servants went out into the streets and
gathered all the people they could find,
both good and bad, and
the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Now, there being no discrimination, no restrictions,
(note this: neither birth into Jewish heritage,
nor even the keeping of the Law)
it was of no matter if the people were good or bad.

Good does not qualify you and
Bad does not exclude you.

A good life, a moral character? You are invited.
A wretched record, a sordid past? You are welcome.

"Good and bad" have passed away.
The invitation is equal, based not on anything
in humanity, whether noble or base,
sensible or foolish.

Jesus punctured mankind's common view
that people fall into categories based
on what they do and who they seem. . .
"good and bad."
The honorable and the corrupt,
the noble and the ignoble.
All are sent for, wanted.



For the Wedding Feast of history's pinnacle,
the invited guests are all one lump of
plain and everyday humanity,
no segments, no sections.

We arrogant humans believe we know God and
His way of viewing, and by that misconception
we decide who is worthy and who is out.
We believe God views as we would, by
worthy and unworthy,
"good and bad."

This criterion for the Marriage of the Lamb,
deliberately destroyed by the parable of Jesus.

'Good' and 'bad,' irrelevant categories
that have no bearing on the invitation . . .



This story moves from the street-side invitation
into the very scene of that
Incredible Feast,
future joy of Eternity's culmination.


But when the king came in to view the guests,
he looked intently at a man there
who had on no wedding garment.
And he said, Friend,
how did you come in here without putting on
the (appropriate) wedding garment?


It does not matter what you are
but what you wear determines if you remain
for the Great Feast.

When the King of Kings looks over
His vast Feast of Union,
He will consider each one by his clothes.
In significance for Eternity, you will not be judged by
what you have been or have not been but by
what you wear as you stand before God.

This legitimate guest was called 'friend,' (1)
a saved believer
else he would not have been present.

The man had answered the invitation,
and he had entered.
Addressed as 'friend' of the King
but found unacceptable,
he is stricken silent by
the awesome presence of the King.

His real nakedness, suddenly apparent as
unanswerable by being inexcusable.


And he was speechless (muzzled, gagged).
Then the king said to the attendants,
Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into
the darkness outside; (2)
there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
Matt. 22:13 Amp. Bible



The believer's
hand. . . his soulish performance
and his foot. . . his independent decisions
were bound and cast from the place where
Christ's Life Alone is celebrated.
Nothing out from humanity will sit at the Table.
No flesh. No effort. No nobility.
No achievements of individual strength.

One who hopes in his/her own faithfulness and service
will be erased by one glance of the Holy One
in whose Impeccible Presence,
flesh is shamed and decimated.

There is a place of conscious regret,
a sorrow agonizing in its irreedeemable loss.
'Outside.'

Taken away from the blazing celebration
of the believers' union with the Son of God...
one would weep and writhe for such a failure.
How could it not be so?

That mysterious union called
Marriage of the Lamb requires Wedding Clothes.
The Bridal covering is a 'garment' subject entirely
to the standard the
Husband-King demands of His Everlasting Companion.

Nothing less.
No substitute.
No copy.
Wear the real clothing or
suffer rejection from the Banquet.

Answer 4

The 144000 Are Saved And The Rest Die Like There Kin Until Resurrected Here After AMen Aaron's Men

Answer 5

There are quite as few people here who have said that this parable is about how God calls us, but few listen or accept that call.

In this parable, the poorly dressed man DID LISTEN and DID ACCEPT THAT CALL. What the parable is saying is that merely accepting jesus into your life IS NOT ENOUGH!! It is saying that when we accept Jesus as our savior, we must become followers of Christ and to love others as He loved them - by acts of mercy and charity.

If we do not love others by doing acts of charity and mercy, we will be found unacceptable to be part of teh Kingdom of God, even though we have accepted Jesus as our savior.

St. James put it eloquently:

Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works.

Answer 6

The wedding banquet is for the christians, those who truly followed Christ. It means that many are called to be a true follower of Christ but some fail to persevere or not sincere. Those are not chosen, only the faithful ones.

Answer 7

This refers to the banquet that all Christians will be at with the Lord at the end. The "Marriage Supper of the Lamb".
When the words that you quote are used, it means that GOD "tugs" at everyone's heartstrings sooner or later in their lives, to become a Christian. (Many are called); the line, "and few are chosen", means that GOD can only choose those that have turned to HIM.

Answer 8

Spiritual awakening is experienced by many who are then encouraged to seek enlightenment however only a few of those will see it through to the end and attain union with the divine and eternal bliss. For the rest there will be other incarnations.

Answer 9

sounds like a very selfish king to me. To invite poor people to the banquet and when they dont show up dressed correctly (maybe they didn't have money for new clothes) he has them bound. They were better off to ignore his invite like they tried in the first place.

Answer 10

Many are called to enter the Kingdom of God, but few put aside the petty indulgences of temporal life to grasp the more important aspect of their eternal destiny.